2009 Camp Steeda - Camp Around

Steeda Autosports, SVTOA, And Track Guys Set Up Camp Around Sebring's Curves

Horse Sense: Robin Burnett's first racecar was a Ford Fiesta with over 109,000 miles on it. We'll wait while you Google "Ford Fiesta," but Robin won a local SCCA Improved Touring Car class at Waterford Hills Road Racing course. Waterford Hills is a tight, technical race course located in Clarkston, Michigan. Now that you are reminded of the Fiesta, you also see that the car is making a comeback stateside after a successful run over in Europe.

Memorial Day weekend is unofficially known as the beginning of summer. In Florida, that means the Blue Hairs have headed north, it's about to get bloody hot outside, and throw the umbrella in the car because here comes the rain. Since we drive our Mustangs all year, we don't use the arrival of spring or summer as an excuse to take our cars out of hibernation-they never go into hibernation (except for Editor Turner's GT500, which lives in hibernation).

If anything, we don't make many trips to racetracks in the summer because of the heat. We actually don't mind traveling north to attend various NMRA and other regional events, which gives us a temporary break from the high temps.

One event that doesn't give us a break from the temperature, and that's not altogether a bad thing, is Camp Steeda. Held at Sebring International Raceway in central Florida, a cool sea breeze is miles away. If there is a breeze, it's a hot one. However, if the ferocious sound of fast cars doesn't make you forget about the heat, we don't know what will.

If that's not enough, the realization of driving your Mustang on Sebring's 3.5 miles of hallowed concrete should make the heat somewhat bearable for a few hours. To make that possible, Steeda Autosports (www.steeda.com) combined efforts with the SVT Owners Association (www.svtoa.com) and Track Guys Performance Driving (www.trackguys.com) to provide a weekend full of open track fun, camaraderie, and instruction. Check out the action.